The Kingmaker

The B-Team Part Deux: The New Member (August 6, 2016)

as told by Chet Cavanaugh the Chronicler

6

AUG/16

Well it’s been awhile but hey I’m a busy god. I have places to go and characters to see. But I dirgress….Sooooo

Two exits are available for the heroes: a north one and a northeastern one. Persephone inspects the room; the northeast tunnel looks more traveled than the north one. The girl does not know which tunnel to take as she was blind folded and prevented from talking. The party decides to take the northeast tunnel. Suddenly metal against stone can be heard, echoing from the northeast part of the chamber. The party sneaks towards the sound and find a cobalt with two humans near him. One human is old and the other is young. They are mining ore. Persephone sneaks behind the overseer striking him successfully. The young man mining ore sees this action. Valtera stabs the overseer in the leg while Darren shield bashes him. The colbalt is down but not out. The young man swings his pick hitting the guard burying the tool in his head.

The party inquires about the health of the two captives. The old man inquires about the date and says his name is Mortirmer. The young man introduces himself as BERICDARION. The group introduces themselves to the now two free captives. Pigde the squirrel Valtyra’s companion chitters his introductoin. Beric explains he was travleing to the Temple of Desnah before he was nabbed. Neither captive has seen children but they do hear them in the tunnels. Pidge turns into a blood hound to try to find the children. Beric joins us to help the children as the Mortimer. Pidge indicates to take the north bound tunnel to look for the children with his nose to the ground. The overseer is inspected for items just before leaving. Master work heavy pick, Steel mining pick, and greeves are found. Following Pidge he suddenly stops growling and lowing himself. The room ahead has slime on the walls and floor but the ceiling can’t be seen. The slime is a secretion from the Slurk (frog like creatures). Darren goes ahead with Persephone following; he suddenly sees out the corner of his eye a boulder that moves. He whispers a warning to the others. Beric casts “Luck” to allow rerolling. The Slurk awakens as the group tries to sneak by. The large tusk toad has a colbalt rider in its teeth. Valtyra leads the group into attack. It takes some time and some slime but finally the Slurk is killed with Mortimer striking the final blow. The cave is searched for loot. The dead cobalt is found to have a book on him. “The Care and Taming of Slurks” is the title of the manuel.

The party continues up the stairs at the end of the room. Darren slips on the steps and falls downwards breaking his little pinky finger. He is able to splint it but not heal it completely. At the top of the stairs the group finds itself in a central hub torn between the north and the west ignoring the south from wence we came. Darren finds tracks going to the north tunnel. Eventually the group hears the cry of children. A tunnel going to the north has four cages with one child in each at the end of the room. A dozen colbalt warriors and two large ones are in the room. Some are asleep; but enough are up to be a problem to get to the children. The cages look to be made of flimsy wood enough to keep kids in but not strong enough to hold a healthy person. Beric summons a rocky elemental to dig a tunnel from our area to the first cage and them the next cage and so on and then leading to the northwest tunnel. Being covered in slime from our slurk encounter helps to travel the tunnel.

The kids are released in this order: Hollen ,red haired boy with green eyes, Jordan, blond stocky boy, Sarum, and Alarah boy blond girl with green eyes. Kimmy is missing having been taken according to the other kids by a big person. Mortimer volunteers to stay with the children while the party rescues/searches for Kimmy. Moving forward the tunnel ends into the room of the colbalt king using the centipede husk for room decoration. The king can be easily seen. Beric uses his “Detect Alignment” ablilty on the king. The king rises up and the party notices he has one red eye and one dead. He sees the party and attacks. Persephone uses “Thorn Javelin” and impales the boss in the shoulder pining him to the wall (natural 20); as a follow up Persephone stabs him in the neck with her trident critically hitting again (natural 20). Blood gushes out of his neck. Beric uses his dagger to make the neck wound worse. Persephone then hexes the boss with STORMBURST. The king shoots “Magic Missle” at Persephone. “Daze” is then used on the oracle but is unsuccessful on Darren. Valtyra tries to grapple with him but is unsuccessful. Persephone is unsuccessful as well. However, Beric hits the boss again for some damage. The boss hits both Persephone and Darren badly. Persephone strikes the final blow with her trident. The boss is looted by the group.

A room goes off to the east. A cozy chamber with a bed, stone alter with the body of a dead girl with the heart missing; an obsidian knife is beside the alter. The girl looks like the description for Kimmy. The group looks for the heart; not found. The search does come up with eight non magical bracelets. A search of the room comes up with no other way out. Wrapping up Kimmy in the red cloak and the wolf skin, the group takes her with them. The group heads back to Mortimer and the kids. Upon meeting them, the group explains that Kimmy was found dead. Using the tunnel the party avoids the colbalts and backtrack a way out. Pidge leads us out to the forest and we head towards Falcon’s Hollow going through Darkmoon Vale. After a time, the party makes camp. Persephone makes camp and sets the tent.

Stories are told by Darren and Mortimer while the party eats. Mortimer tells how he met the Monkey King and his group (the rest of the B Team) have their ship taken over by a group a serpent people took two ships away from Valtera and her friends. The serpent men are looters and live on an island. Mortimer brandishes a map saying that it was what got him adventuring. Persephone and Valtyra recognize the B Team original names in the tale.

Everyone takes watch. Persephone and Darren wake up for their watch (the third one). Persephone has growths on her chin and hair falling out and skin has a blackish hue on her head. She had Darren rouse Mortimer and Beric. Persephone explains about the varighoul attack and her concerns about her health and looks and being a possible danger to the party and the kids. Beric explains that the verighoul are evil creatures from the infernal plane. They have tenticles hanging from their chin and fangs. He goes on to explain they have a hideous method of reproduction by kissing victims where their head will everntually fall off creating another verighoul.

The kids wake up and the party goes back to the town passing Boulbeena home. The returned children run to their folks while Darren rather bluntly tells the mayor his daughter did not make it. Stunned the mayor drops the coin purse reward and takes his daughter away. The rest of the town gives money and food to the heroes. The ingredients are brought to Roots and Remedies shop. Persephone asks about her condition. The cleric there does not but suggests a person in Magnimar might know. Persephone slinks away; meeting Mortimer outside she asks to be taken to Malistar’s Island to the Desdale town (The Shackles) to see his high priestess. They gain passage to Almas, Andoran. From there the party gets passage to the Shackles where Mortimer says the priestess is located. Persephone pays for Mortimer as well as her own.

As the party sails to the island Persephone’s condition worsens on the third day. She starts to have visions of fire and brimestone (nightmares) more hair is falling out. On the fifth day, mist is seen and Mortimer sees the peak of his island in the middle of the mist. The sixth day skin her throat swells and the skin reddens and peeling; she can’t swallow much. After rough surf and boat ends up in calm waters in Malistar’s Island. The plank is lowered and Persephone runs to the church that she sees her friends follow. Casting “Heightened Awareness” to make her more alert. She soon enters the cathedral. A woman pops her head up and her friend let the woman know a medical condition. The priestess is fetched; once there Valtyra explains what happened to Persephone and Beric chimes in with his information. Persephone is set down. The priestess sets her hand on her and starts to pray to the gods. The room takes on a misty look with the insense. Beric notices the stain glassed window with the symbol starts to glow. Persephone suddenly sits up with an angry welt around her neck and bald but otherwise okay. Persephone asks what happended. She is told the goddess RYO help remove the poison from her. Persephone thanks her profusely and tells her she can have anything. The priestess indicates the collection box. I shakely walk to the collections box and drop off 100 gold pieces into it. The priestess says her name is Everly. The band introduces themselves and the woman they saw is named Margret. The werewolf curse is also not an issue as it has been over seven days and a full moon has passed and nothing has happened.

The party goes to the local tavern to rest ordering ale. Mortimer joins the party dressed in clean cloths. Mortimer suggest the Palm Leaf Plaza for shops. He takes the group to an area with plenty of palms and shops aplenty. Timeless Treasures is where Mortimer takes the party to trade the jewelery they have acquired. They recieve 100 gold pieces for the jewelery. Next they are taken to a shop around the corner called the Curly Succubus (a magic shop) to trade the battle ax and the crown. A small wizend hapling approaches and the group presents the currator with the battle axe. The shop keeper suggest we take it to Phony Manticore for trade since it is a weapon against humans. The crown is then presented and the shop keeper does seem interested in it. He makes an offer of 7500 gold pieces. Instead Beric makes a counteroffer of trading for plus one rings. The party get two RINGS OF PROTECTION + and one +1 RING OF DEXTERITY. They go to the where the Curly Succubus is located. As we get to the dock Beric and Darren see a shady person coming up from the dock. We go below to the dock and Persephone finds a manticore carving on a post. Darren puts his finger in a hole in the carving; a click happens and a door opens. The party enters and a similar looking shopkeeper greats them. The weapons are shown to the shopkeeper. The tale of how the weapon was acquired by the party. The curator indicates he is willing to trade. A shield is traded for the axe. The party is asked to return if any other items are acquired. They all leave going up the ladder.

The party comes a smith called The Thunder Nut. The first dwarf everyone has seen here greets them and invites them into the armor/leather work store. Each group member makes deals and trades to gain better weapons and armor. Mortimer is still with us. The party plans to inquire about his map to the Monkey King treasure on the island of serpent people.